Spring cleaning for a cause
Your pre-loved books, toys, rundown appliances or furniture could be another homeowners’ much-needed item
It’s not only days, weeks and months that’s been adding on to the ongoing health crisis — there’s also the increasing number of things you realize you haven’t been using while on lockdown.
In terms of decluttering, throwing everything away, especially if it can still be used, isn’t an option. Donating, however, is.
Philippine Toy Library
For toys, stuffed bears or board games the kids (or you) have outgrown — share the fun and happiness it brought you by giving them to children from marginalized communities through Philippine Toy Library (PTL). PTL is a non-profit organization that transforms spaces into fun and creative haven for children to play, interact and learn for free, having built more than 200 libraries since its inception in 2012.
PTL is on the hunt for old or brand new jigsaw puzzles to be included in a special project to be used in 23 communities with a remote learning set-up to encourage the kids to learn and play hard. They will be accepting donations up until 6 November. For any donations, send mail to Jose Cojuangco and Sons Building, 119 Dela Rosa cor Castro Streets, Legaspi Village, Makati City, or message them through Facebook at www.facebook.com/PhilippineToyLibrary.
Books For A Cause
Instead of staring at the tower of old and new books collecting dust in one corner — especially those educational (from elementary to college) textbooks that have been kept inside boxes over the years — without any intentions of reading them, let someone else appreciate and learn from the worlds enclosed in these pages.
From books on how to manage a business, the Bible, to fiction and many more, Books For A Cause can take these books off your hands and to other Filipino children in dire need of learning and distraction amid the pandemic. Books For A Cause is an advocacy that aims to spread knowledge to the marginalized children and out-of-school youth through books, encouraging their minds to “continue pursuing their dreams” and that “poverty is not a hindrance to a better future.”
Send pre-loved books or any art and learning materials to their main HQ in Taguig City, c/o Ramil E. Sumangil 414 Barcelona, Vista de Lago Tuktukan, Taguig City 1637 Philippines. Contact them thru landline at (+632) 584-6816 and mobile: 0929- 8082664. Message them on Facebook for queries: www.facebook.com/booksforacauseph.
Caritas Manila’s Segunda Mana
Many have accumulated new appliances or furniture at Shoppee or Lazada on a whim, even though they already have one of those sitting around the house and belatedly realizing that there’s no more room for two. If you don’t know where to put it, Segunda Mana has room for it.
Segunda Mana, which means “secondhand” in English, is a special donations- in- kind program of Caritas Manila — the leading social arm of the Archdiocese in Manila. Donated goods — from clothes, rundown appliances, books and anything under the sun that are of use — are sold to others. Proceeds from the sale will go to Caritas Manila’s programs for the poor. Segunda Mana was established in 2007.
Segunda Mana has an ongoing expo at the Holy Child Catholic School in Tondo, Manila that will run up until 2 November. It is open from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily.
For inquiries, (+632) 564-0205 to 562-0020 to 25 or send them an email at segundamana@caritasmanila. org. ph or cm@caritasmanila.org.ph. For more information, visit their website at caritas.org.ph/inkind.php or their Facebook page www.facebook.com/SegundaMana.